Register of Wills & Recorder of Deeds

Bedford County Register Recorder

Inheritance Tax

Inheritance tax is imposed as a percentage of the value of a decedent's estate transferred to beneficiaries by will, heirs by intestacy and transferees by operation of law. The tax rate varies depending on the relationship of the heir to the decedent.

The rates for Pennsylvania inheritance tax are as follows:

0 percent on transfers to a surviving spouse or to a parent from a child aged 21 or younger;

4.5 percent on transfers to direct descendants and lineal heirs;

12 percent on transfers to siblings; and

15 percent on transfers to other heirs, except charitable organizations, exempt institutions and government entities exempt from tax.

Property owned jointly between husband and wife is exempt from inheritance tax.

Effective for estates of decedents dying after June 30, 2012, the Pennsylvania inheritance tax for farming families, previously levied when property was transferred from one generation to the next or between family members, is eliminated.

Inheritance tax payments are due upon the death of the decedent and become delinquent nine months after the individual's death. If inheritance tax is paid within three months of the decedent's death, a 5 percent discount is allowed.